Worldwide factory equipment revenue generated by mobile communications will approach the quarter-trillion-dollar mark by year end, said iSuppli. Global mobile communications factory equipment revenue for 2010 is forecast to be $235.5 billion, up 7.9 percent from last year, on the expansion of mobile broadband worldwide and by sales of 3G phones, the industry research firm said. For 2011, revenue for the segment is projected to hit $271.3 billion. 3G mobile handsets will account for the largest share of revenue at $86.4 billion, up 34.6 percent from $64.2 billion in 2009, the firm said.
Hill Republicans bombarded the FCC with threats to reverse net neutrality rules approved Tuesday by the commission. Democrats said they were happy net neutrality is moving forward, but some said they wished for stronger protections.
Time Warner Cable won’t be required to carry Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals baseball games to its approximately 2 million expanded-basic subscribers in North Carolina, after all. FCC members adopted 4-1 an order that overturns an arbitrator’s decision to require the carriage and that undoes a draft circulated by Kevin Martin on his last business day as FCC chairman, commission officials said Tuesday afternoon. Commissioner Michael Copps is the dissenter from the forthcoming order, agency officials said.
Low-power TV stations on channels 52-59 should have to move or stop operations by the end of 2011, if not sooner, AT&T and Verizon Wireless said in FCC comments filed separately. The agency is considering rules for managing the LPTV transition to digital broadcasting, a switch some operators of the stations said last week shouldn’t happen until the agency sets UHF spectrum policy (CD Dec 20 p5). “LPTV stations have been on notice for more than a decade that the 700 MHz band was being reallocated,” AT&T said. The commission’s proposed Dec. 31, 2011, deadline for those stations to stop operating on those channels will give them plenty of time to find other channels to relocate to, AT&T said.
The FCC on Tuesday approved net neutrality rules under Title I of the Communications Act, over scathing dissents by Commissioners Robert McDowell and Meredith Baker. Democrats Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn also lobbed criticisms at the rules, saying they do not go far enough. The vote, after weeks of negotiations and months of build-up, was anticlimactic, since Copps and Clyburn had announced Monday they would not oppose the order (CD Dec 21 p1).
The FCC adopted a notice of inquiry Tuesday asking for guidance on building the “next generation” of 911. The 5-0 vote was overshadowed by a lengthy discussion of net neutrality rules, but commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said the 911 measure is long overdue. “It’s time to bring 9-1-1 into the digital age,” he said in prepared remarks. “If you find yourself in an emergency situation and want to send a text for help, you can pretty much text anyone except a 9-1-1 call center."
The wireless prepaid price war is extending to the 13-19 million older Americans who either don’t currently own a cellphone or no longer use one, said officials with Alliance for Generational Equity (AGE) in a press briefing Tuesday. Seniors can now purchase a senior-friendly prepaid phone for less than $15 and get service starting at $7 a month, they said, citing a study by AGE’s Senior Advocate Health & Safety Project.
A continuing resolution approved Tuesday by the Senate includes broadband oversight money sought by the NTIA. It also prevents a spike in Universal Service Fund contributions by extending an exemption of the USF from a Civil War-era law. The resolution keeps the government running until March 4. The drama over broadband funding and the last-minute, temporary nature of the fix raised concerns about whether the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program can work long term.
U.K. Business Secretary Vincent Cable was removed from his role as overseer of media and telecom policy after he was caught by reporters saying he had declared war on News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch. Cable recently initiated Ofcom’s review of the company’s proposed purchase of the rest of British Sky Broadcasting it doesn’t already own. Jeremy Hunt, a conservative secretary of state for Culture, Media and Sport, will take over for Cable in handling media and telecom policy, though Prime Minister David Cameron will keep Cable on as business secretary. Also Tuesday, the European Commission gave its blessing to News Corp.-BSkyB, saying it wouldn’t harm competition.
The FCC’s net neutrality order under Title I leaves room for argument on states’ authority over broadband services, experts said in interviews. Chairman Julius Genachowski is expected to get the votes needed to approve his net neutrality proposal Tuesday. (See separate story in this issue.)